Is it Monday? The days run together out here in the jungle. We all arrived last Friday around 3:00 and started our orientation right away. It has been crazy here, especially since the students arrived around the same time. The biggest undertaking we have had is trying to work a schedule for all of us. The other four young teachers stay at the high school dorms…but I stay at the lodge in Casa Quest, a dormitory area with shared bathrooms, meant for backpackers who travel through the area. We have electricity for about two hours in the morning, and then from about 7-10 p.m. I have to remember to charge anything that needs to be charged. So far, I’ve been eating with the guests…but today all the guests left and we are alone…so I eat in the kitchen with my students.
The grounds are beautiful with huge multi-colored flowers throughout the gardens. I recognize some of these exquisite plants as house-plants in the states. It has been raining quite a bit latejy, and I have to be careful as I walk the pathways…some are pretty slippery when wet. We walked about 1 ½ kilometers to the high school yesterday and trekked up some fairly slippery, muddy hills. The walking has been keeping me active and exhausted. I’ve been eating three huge meals a day and not gaining any weight…..probably losing.
My job consists of being academic coordinator and lodge coordinator. Basically, I help the new teachers with their classes if needed.. (and they don’t need too much because they are all amazingly bright and perceptive.) I also work with the students at the lodge who are interning in tourism. I do pullout classes to help them with their English in specific areas. My major goal is to have them interact with the guests and to be able to promote themselves as the only student run ecolodge in the world….I have never seen adolescents work so hard in my life.working over a 12 hour day … never complaining… I have been working long hours myself …We do not have any days off during a three day period…working straight through a weekend….That’s why I can’t believe it’s Monday….Being on the equator, daylight is a 6:00…and then..right at 6:00…it’s dark. I have to be sure to write in some down time into my schedule because if I'm not careful, we can end up wearing many different hats....
Walking along a path at night is treacherous if one doesn’t carry a flashlight. ….Last night’s moon was awesome with unbelievably brilliant stars because of there being no ambient light. We have to keep a careful watch for snakes that have curled up on the pathway to keep warm.
I’ve given up on my hair…it’s flat and without any sort of style…I’m hoping it grows quickly so I can put it into a sort of a ponytail to keep out of my face. The weather has actually been rather cool some days..especially at night. We all struggle a little with the chiggers, which can be irksome....,but I usually wear pants and boots which helps. We wash our clothes by hand……but I'm just thrilled to have hot water! Good fruits and vegetables and hot water….Life’s simple pleasures. Oh..and internet… life doesn’t get much better.
A person around the lodge is able to see a variety of animals here..wandering in from the jungle. I saw a huge hummingbird, about three sizes bigger than the ones in Indiana. Yolanda, the parrot, loves to give her opinion about just about anything…and then there’s Yacu, the baby otter. Yacu means water in Quiche. Someone brought her in two weeks ago from the market….rescued it from some woman trying to sell it… Yacu lives in the pond close to the lodge About 8 inches long, not including the tail, she follows anyone around. She eats about three times a day and will definitely tell you when she is hungry. She gnaws on your pant legs and bite fingers. When that happens, someone has to get the fishing pole out and catch small bluegill looking fish to feed it…but beware! If anyone tries to take the fish away from her, she will bite hard and draw blood. I’m thinking she might be something to reckon with when she grows to full size.
Yacu’s very social and loves everyone…..but I’m worried that she’ll get stepped on because she is underfoot so much. She is like a small puppy..with razor sharp teeth…and her head is almost shaped like a fuzzy shark head with tiny piecing eyes, tiny ears, and webbed feet. She’s a heart-breaker…a real lover…When she reaches her four foot adult size, I wouldn’t want to tangle with her.
Yacu sounds like a handful, similar to a dog you once owned (ha, that was a joke). I bet she gets used to social interaction and won't be biting as much soon. RAZOR SHARP TEETH could be dangerous, as are the snakes on the path.
ReplyDeleteI love reading your entries - cannot wait to read more! Enjoy yourself, time will fly by faster than you think.